Zeo Mobile Sleep Manager Review and Giveaway

It is that time again. Time for reflection, resolutions, and the start of a New Year. I always get a double dose of it because January 1 is also my birthday. So not only has another year passed, but I am another year older.

I like making resolutions but not the blanket kind that seem so popular this time of year. I will be healthier. I will lose weight. I will be happier. I like to be very specific with my resolutions. I will eat a green vegetable every day. I will read for at least 15 minutes every day . I will always put my shopping cart away at the grocery store. (That was actually one of my resolutions two years ago).

One thing I want to focus on this year is improving my sleep. I think we all know that just about everything is easier to handle after a good night of sleep. For me I am in a much better mood, I snack less, I am more motivated to get my daily exercise in, less likely to get sick, and I could list about a million other things. And a good night's sleep is more than just going to bed earlier. Exercise, caffeine, stress, medication, even having to get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night can all affect how much deep sleep you get. But trying to keep track of all of this on your own is enough to make you lose sleep. That is where my new Zeo Sleep Manager comes in to play. Best Buy sent me this handy gadget to help me with my 2012 resolution.

I have used a couple of apps on my iPhone to track my sleep before, but most of them just measured your movement during sleep and the results were easily thrown off by things like your husband turning over or a child climbing into bed with you. The Zeo is actually a headband with sensors that you wear. It tracks your REM and deep sleep throughout the night and then shows you a graph each morning along with your sleep score.

These are both screen shots from my phone. Yes, I slept for eight and a half hours, but only because it was my birthday, and sleep is really the only present I ask for on my birthday. I took a nap that day too.

I love seeing how long it takes me to get to sleep after I lay down at night. See that nice 5 minutes of REM sleep in between being awake at the beginning? That was me falling asleep and then being woken up by my four year old. That is how detailed and accurate these graphs are.

Now looking at the graph is interesting and often offers validation about how you are feeling, but the real fun starts when you sign in online. With a few easy clicks you can track everything from how much caffeine you drank to how many times your sleep was interrupted by your snoring husband or your sick 4-year-old.

You can graph your results to help see how these 'sleep stealers' are affecting your sleep.

(these are not my caffeine results....I promise!)

So now instead of making a blanket statement about getting more sleep in 2012, I can focus on making specific choices that will help me reach that goal. I won't drink caffeine after 3pm. I won't watch TV after 10pm. I will sleep in a hotel where my family can't interrupt my sleep.

It is a good thing I don't expect to be 100 % on any of my resolutions.

All of this great information is really easy to get from the Zeo Sleep Manager. It is easy to set up, even easier to use, and all of these results only take a few minutes of your time every day. You pop the Zeo off the magnetic charger, and your phone will walk you through all of the steps. Steps like put the headband on, plug your phone in, and go to sleep. If you don't have an iPhone or Android mobile phone then there is a bedside version of the Zeo Sleep Manager too.

I don't want to be the only one getting better sleep in 2012, so Best Buy is giving away a Zeo Mobile Sleep Manager to one of you too. Just leave me a comment letting me know your biggest sleep stealer is, and you will be entered for a chance to win a Zeo Sleep Manager of your own.

Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You can enter to win up to two (2) times, using any combination of the following methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d)For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
The sweepstakes runs from 1/11 - 1/17/2012.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.
You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
Also be sure to visit the Inspiration to Fitness page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers' reviews, find great fitness tips and find more chances to win! You can also click on the Best Buy image at the top of my blog to view a calendar of all the Inspiration to Fitness content. Good luck!

*Disclaimer - This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Best Buy. I was provided with a Zeo Sleep Manager to use for the purpose of this review and was compensated for my post. All opinions and results I share are my own.Best Buy does not sponsor, endorse, approve, or have any responsibility for this promotion.

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